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Abstract
Employee-organization association has been one of the key attractive and controversial constructs in the discussion of organizational behavior. A more comprehensive view of performance is achieved if it is defined as embracing both behavior and outcomes (Armstrong, 2000). This research explores the relationship between employee perceptions of an empathetic organizational climate and organizational citizenship behaviors (OCB). We developed and tested hypotheses that examine the role of affective organizational commitment and compassion satisfaction as potential mechanisms that explain this relationship. Nickols (2003) and Fort and Voltero (2004) identify these factors that are closely related and affect employee performance in the workplace: clear goals and job expectations, suitable repertoire, immediate feedback, skills to perform, understanding of the organizational structure, functional feedback system, sound mental models, and sufficient motivation through self-satisfaction and incentives. To further explore the relationships that affect employee performance, our research focuses on organizational citizenship behavior toward individuals (OCBI) and organizational citizenship behavior toward organizations (OCBO).
Our study used social exchange theory (Blau, 1964) as a theoretical framework to explain the hypothesized relationships. We conducted an online survey using MTurk, where participants completed a questionnaire consisting of an independent variable (perception of an empathetic organizational climate with the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire or TEQ), mediators (affective commitment with affective commitment scale and compassion satisfaction with the professional quality of life scale), and dependent variables (OCBI and OCBO).
The results were evaluated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS); multiple analyses were performed, such as reliability analysis, descriptive, regression and test of normality. The results for all the hypotheses proposed in the dissertation were supported; that is, there are positive correlations between employee perceptions of an empathetic organizational climate and organizational citizenship behaviors. However, results show no support for Hypothesis 6a-b, which predicted that employees’ affective organizational commitment partially mediates the relationship between employee perceptions of an empathetic organizational climate and employees’ OCBO or OCBI. That was also the case for hypothesis 4b which predicted a positive correlation between AC and OCBI.